When your baby reaches six months old, you may decide that you would like to start weaning them onto solid food. Weaning can be an exciting time as your baby goes on a journey of discovery, sampling flavours and textures they’ve never experienced before.

The NHS recommends that babies should not be fed anything other than breast milk for the first six months of their life.

If you’re planning on starting the weaning process, these products could be just what you need to help you along the way.

Sterilisers

During your baby’s first year it is essential to sterilise equipment, as this helps to kill bacteria, and will help to protect your baby against infections.

There are a few different methods that can be used to sterilise your baby’s feeding equipment:

Steam Sterilisers:

Electric sterilisers and microwave sterilisers both use steam to sterilise baby feeding equipment. Steam sterilisers do not require any additional chemicals to work. Depending on which steriliser you purchase, items may stay sterile inside the steriliser for up to 24 hours, as long as you don’t open the lid.

Cold Water Method:

The cold water method uses sterilising tablets or sterilising fluid mixed with water to create a sterilising solution. When using this method make sure that your baby’s feeding equipment is fully covered by the solution, and they don’t have any air bubbles in them.

The feeding equipment should be left in the cold water sterilising solution for at least 30 minutes. The sterilising solution should be changed every 24 hours.

Boiling Water:

If you choose to sterilise using a pan of boiling water, it is vital to make sure that the items you want to sterilise are safe to be boiled. The items must stay fully immersed below the surface of the boiling water, and should be boiled for at least 10 minutes. Make sure the items don’t stay in the boiling water too long, and take care to avoid scalds and burns when sterilising with boiling water.

Don’t forget to inspect your feeding equipment regularly, as the boiling water method may cause items to become damaged more quickly.

Travel Sterilising Equipment

All of the above sterilising methods are great when you’re at home, but what about when you’re on the go? Luckily, there are a whole range of products out there that can keep your baby equipment sterile when you’re away from home:

Steriliser Bags

These handy little bags simply need to be filled with cold water and then popped in a microwave, your baby’s feeding equipment will be sterile in no time at all.

Single Unit Sterilisers

These compact sterilisers can usually be used for both cold water and microwave sterilising, and due to their small size fit perfectly inside your changing bag.

Bibs

When weaning starts there’s one thing to be sure of – things are about to get messy! Thank goodness for bibs, but which one should you choose? Soft cotton bibs are great for gently wiping your baby’s face while they’re eating. If you find that your baby’s food seems to seep through a cotton bib onto their clothing, a bib with a plastic backing can be a great alternative.

If you’re using a baby-led weaning method you may want to invest in a coverall bib that has sleeves, this will prevent staining on your baby’s clothing particularly around the cuffs. As your baby grows, you may find a plastic bib with a crumb catcher useful for those ‘missed mouth’ moments.

Baby Food Blenders

If you’re planning on whipping up your own baby food purees, a baby food blender will be a useful addition to your weaning toolkit. There are lots of different varieties to choose from, so it’s worth considering exactly which style is best for you before you start shopping.

Which Baby Food Blender is best for you?

If cupboard and worktop space is limited, a baby food stick or hand blender is a great space saver. However, if you’ve got space and plan to use it regularly, a baby food processor that sits on your worktop could be your ideal choice.

Another fantastic space saving (and time saving) gadget is an all in one baby food steamer and blender, which means less washing up! You can also use the steamer and blender functions independently of each other, which is really handy.

Highchairs

When it comes to choosing a highchair you will find yourself spoilt for choice! Prices vary widely, and the choice is overwhelming, but the most important thing to consider is what will best suit your family’s needs and your living space.

If space is tight you may want to go for a highchair that folds and can be tucked away between meal times.

Highchairs with adjustable heights are great to use as your baby grows, and allows them to be at the same level as the rest of the family whether you’re eating in the kitchen or at the dinner table.

Pick one that’s easy to clean! This highchair is going to get super-messy, so pick one that will be easy to wipe over, and doesn’t have lots of nooks and crannies for crumbs to hide in.

Travel Highchairs

A travel highchair will come in very handy if you’re out and about at mealtimes with your baby or toddler. These handy little seats come in a variety of styles, and can usually be secured onto a dining chair to act as a booster seat for your baby. Some travel highchairs come with trays, if you prefer your baby to be eating at the table with the rest of the family, one without a tray could be a better choice for you. Look out for styles that are easy to fold up and store - some are even small enough to fit into the basket under the pushchair.

Important Safety Information

NEVER leave your baby alone in a highchair or travel highchair. You should also never leave your baby alone with food due to the risk of choking, always supervise meal times.

The information on this website is for general information and it is not intended as, nor should it be considered as a substitute for seeing your own GP, midwife or healthcare professional. You are advised to seek professional medical advice if you have any concerns or suspect you have a medical problem.